The trees were cut by Ecan river engineers without consulting the Waimakariri District Council (WDC), Ecan councillors, the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee or the community.
The removal of the 500 trees caused a public outcry and led to the creation of the Ecan/WDC Rangiora Reach Advisory Group to develop a replanting program.
A key member, Keith Harris of Rangiora, a regular visitor to the park, was among more than 40 people who attended the planting day on Saturday, September 24.
“It was a great place to see so many of our community come and help us replant a lot of grasses, shrubs, shrubs and trees,” Keith said.
“After a two-year campaign, we finally had something special on the Cones Road site.
“I would like to thank those who have helped and supported this project from the beginning and especially the support I have received from our Mayor Dan Gordon and his WDC team, Ecan Councilor Grant Edge, everyone from the Rangiora Reach Advisory Group, and my wife Christine and grandchildren who encouraged me to do something special for our environment,” he said.
“I would also like to thank the North Canterbury News for their great coverage and for encouraging our Waimakariri community to get involved. It was a great team performance and a great result for our future generation to enjoy.”
A selection of 500 native plants, including Kowhai, kanuka, cabbage trees, flax, silver pollen and coprosma, were planted with plans to plant a total of 3,200 native trees, grasses, shrubs and flax in the area. Greg Stanley said the planting was the result of working with the community and stakeholders to develop a master plan around what people wanted to see in this part of the park after the trees were removed to ensure the area could function as a a flood if the primary stop bank fails”.
The community had “made it clear that this area is a really important recreational space used by walkers, runners, cyclists and dog walkers who enjoy the numerous trails along the river.”
“A lot of people told us that they would like to see planting in this year’s planting season, if it could be done in a way that would still allow the flooding function of the area. While the area cannot be completely replanted, smaller, intentionally located low native nodes with a small number of well-maintained shade trees can be planted for the community to enjoy,” Greg said.
By SHELLEY TOPP